It appears that diesel prices are back on a steady downward pattern, according to data released by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Prices dipped 3.8 cents to $3.85 per gallon, following a 6.2 cent decline last week, which represented the steepest weekly decline since falling 6.4 cents the week of May 23. Diesel prices have gone down a cumulative 27.4 cents since hitting a 2011 high of $4.124 per gallon the week of May 2.

On a year-over-year basis, prices are up 96.2 cents.

Oil prices are also down, with the current price per barrel trading at $96.09 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, according to media reports. A Boston Globe article stated that Goldman Sachs said that the International Energy Agency’s recent decision to release 60 million barrels of oil from its reserves won’t cool off prices as much as originally thought.

The article added that independent oil analysts say prices still could head lower this year, but some think IEA’s announcement speaks volumes about its expectations for world oil supplies.

As LM has reported, even with the recent decline of diesel prices, shippers and carriers remain concerned about the price of diesel and oil. While many have indicated that prices at current levels are still digestible, they cautioned that could quickly change depending on how quickly prices rise with summer driving season officially here.

And even with declines in prices in recent weeks, the focus from a supply chain perspective for managing fuel price ebbs and flows—for shippers—is more on utilization and efficiency by doing things like driving empty miles out of transportation networks.

July 6, 2011

About the Author

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor

Jeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis. Contact Jeff Berman

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